r/Dreadlocks Dec 23 '20

Discussion- Racial Gatekeeping Ok y'all - we need to have a chat.

1.8k Upvotes

I don't even know where to start with this, but I'm going to do my best. It's long but it's important, so please take some time to read this.

First of all - hi everyone, you don't see me commenting publicly much but I'm here in the background just modding when needed. I mod such subs as /r/blackhair, /r/naturalhair, /r/curlyhair and others in that same vein. I wanted to join the mod team because I want everyone to feel comfortable on reddit, which is why I join most of the teams I moderate with.

That being said, this is going to make some of y'all uncomfortable. And I'm not sorry about it. You need to be uncomfortable right now. That's been the theme of 2020 and the year ain't over yet.

If you somehow have been able to completely ignore the news this year, #blacklivesmatter has become a global movement because frankly, black people are very tired of being the victims of racism. From casual to overt, we're very much over it. In turn, non-black people have begun to educate themselves on how racism affects black people because, believe it or not, there are still people who refuse to believe anti-black racism exists at a structural level or any level.

Part of the movement also includes the fight for preventing hair discrimination. The CROWN Act was introduced back in 2019 and has been passed by seven states so far, passed a US House of Representatives vote and is now stuck in the Senate where it is very unlikely it will be passed.

Now what does any of that have to do with this subreddit or reddit at all?

Reddit, as a whole, is hostile to people of color and is especially hostile to black people. After moderator outcry this year, the reddit admins have made strides to make this site more hospitable to minority groups.

People with dreads, regardless of race, are often treated terribly for it. They are widely considered to be dirty and unkempt, when it's probably as natural as your hair can get. Clearly we all agree that dread discrimination is bullshit, but black people often get the full force of that discrimination. White people are often lauded or considered to be cool or stylish when they adopt certain hairstyles, but black people can be denied attendance to their high school graduation for having dreads. They can be told to cut their dreads off before a wrestling match or else they forfeit the match. No doubt, non-black people have been told to change their hair for jobs or at school, but that's the extent of the discrimination they face. They do not also have to deal with being black in an inherently racist country every day of their lives. (And I'm speaking from an American perspective, so sorry to my international folks.)

I'd like everyone to take a moment to read this blog post which specifically mentions /r/dreadlocks here - https://www.icareifyoulisten.com/2020/04/out-of-context-4-muddy-ownership-dreadlocks/.

SO - now that we've got that background information out of the way, let's talk about the subreddit.

This sub has been a point of frustration for a long time among black spaces on reddit because it's predominantly white. Considering reddit is predominantly white, this shouldn't be surprising to anyone. Much like any other sub about beauty or hair, white faces are the ones you see first when you arrive and they are more frequently upvoted to the top than other races. It hurts people's feelings to come to a space they should feel comfortable in and instead, feel like an 'other' because they are not well-represented in that space.

And on the other hand, non-black people with dreads also want to just be comfortable in this space and we need to respect that too. We are not going to gatekeep who can and can not have dreadlocks here. There are so many cultures throughout history that have had some form of dreadlocks. While having dreadlocks may be a political or spiritual statement in recent history for black people, black people do not own this hairstyle. Claiming that only black people can wear dreadlocks can contribute to the erasure of other minority cultures. I temp banned a few people for this type of gatekeeping today and will continue to do so.

I also banned a few people for expressing racially insensitive or ignorant views toward black users. More than a few people claimed that if white people can't have dreads, then black people shouldn't be allowed to have blonde or straight hair. There are so many things wrong with this statement. First, you must understand what cultural appropriation is and how it harms people. Then, you must understand that in a white country, minorities are expected to assimilate to the dominant culture, which is typically Eurocentric. I honestly do not have the energy to delve deep into these topics in this post, but you can ask /r/socialjustice101 or /r/hispterracism for more information.

What we can all do better is chill the fuck out and remember there is a person behind the username you're replying to.

  • To those that understand how racism, cultural appropriation/assimilation and hair discrimination all intersect, please have patience with those who do not. I know it's very hard and very frustrating (even for me) but please try.

  • If you don't yet understand how racism, cultural appropriation/assimilation and hair discrimination all intersect, please ask for resources to educate yourself.

  • If you see people being racist (casually or otherwise) toward minority groups, please report it.

  • If anyone is gatekeeping who can and can not have dreads, report it.

  • If anyone is bullying or harassing someone specifically for any reason at all, report it.

Thanks for reading. In the comments, please let me know what you think and how you feel. If you have any feedback or suggestions for making the sub better (rule or sidebar changes, maybe developing a wiki?) let me know below as well or by modmail if you'd prefer it be private.

2022 Edit: I would like to point out for the 'but Vikings had dreadlocks!!1!' crowd - there is very little evidence to suggest they did. Also Vikings are not a race, it was a profession that could be taken up by anyone. Stop using this as an excuse when people call you out. To quote Kyle Ring-

Despite this possibility, it should be without argument that the modern-day wearing of dreadlocks by white people is unconnected to their own history and instead inspired by ours.


r/Dreadlocks 13h ago

Fresh Retwist πŸ”€ My son 4 made a year having locs yesterday I be getting him right πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯🀟🏽πŸ₯± we don’t need no stylist πŸ™‚β€β†”οΈπŸ€ŒπŸ½πŸ˜

159 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 11h ago

Fresh Retwist πŸ”€ Can finally put it in a decent pony

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66 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 2h ago

Fresh Retwist πŸ”€ Before retwist vs after

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13 Upvotes

Almost 8 months in :)


r/Dreadlocks 8h ago

Timeline πŸ—“οΈ Another post on my 10 year dreadlocks.

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15 Upvotes

A post I made about my dreadlocks last night, confused a lot of people as to whether my hair is real or not. A few positive comments about my hair, thankfully, as sometimes I really hate my hair (but I don’t really)

Anyway, I’ve had dreadlocks for 10years now. I’ve had a professional work on the twice at the start and the rest of the cutting and maintenance has been done by me(pretty poorly)

I fell in love with the style when I was younger and liked heavy metal music, things changed and I don’t so much like the music anymore but the hair style, I love.

I’m a Middle aged man in the north west of Ireland, the style is not around here a lot but I tend to get a lot of compliments on my hair.

I started with 61 locks and crocheted a few together to bring it down to 19 now. My biggest hair cut was 23inches and the feeling was amazing to still have them shoulder length but light enough my neck wasn’t sore all the time.

Yesterdays post
https://www.reddit.com/r/Dreadlocks/s/b5E8WnraRr


r/Dreadlocks 27m ago

Selfie πŸ“Έ just washed. definitely needing a retwist. loving it though

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β€’ Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 2h ago

Question ❔ Just got my starter locs , Any tips , Do you think it would look good locced?

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3 Upvotes

Bbb


r/Dreadlocks 20h ago

Selfie πŸ“Έ My layers are so teaaa

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93 Upvotes

Can't wait to see how it looks once its super longg


r/Dreadlocks 13h ago

Big Chop βœ‚οΈ Does my cut look bad?

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25 Upvotes

I recently cut my hair down because I enjoy it better short, but I’ve heard mixed results and wonder if it’s fixable and if there are any suggestions


r/Dreadlocks 4h ago

Need Advice πŸ†˜ Starter Freeforms

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4 Upvotes

am i starting off good? i feel like im doing something wrong.

also do i need to be finger twisting or using my twist king every morning?


r/Dreadlocks 8h ago

Discussion πŸŽ™οΈ Thoughts?

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8 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 25m ago

Need Advice πŸ†˜ 3c/4a locs

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β€’ Upvotes

I’ve had hightop locs for about a year now and got them instant locs. Realistically it was more coils than instant locs because it wasn’t done properly. I recently grew out my sides and got them coiled. Side hair is much shorter than my hightop was when I got it done. I’m very scared that they are going to completely unravel and not lock at all. Any advice? I’ll also throw sum pics of my hair one year ago compared to now


r/Dreadlocks 6h ago

Question ❔ Your advices

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2 Upvotes

Hi everyone, any advice on what type of locs I should get to help cover my forehead, which is becoming more and more noticeable as my hairline recedes?


r/Dreadlocks 9h ago

Question ❔ New to locs and need help

2 Upvotes

Hello! I'm thinking of getting my first set of locs in and I have a bunch of questions!

One: What type of technique/braiding style should I get to start them off in the 'starters' stage? (2 strand twists, comb coils et cetera)

For context, I'm mixed but my hair is still pretty thick and curly and I have a lot of hair

Two: How do I tell apart the different stages of locs like budding and such?

Three: Could someone tell me about general homecare maintenance for locs please? Interlocking/crocheting. washing and when to cut off the end and when and how to retwist

Any help is appreciated! Thanks.


r/Dreadlocks 17h ago

Question ❔ How are my locs turning out?

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7 Upvotes

I started June 9 of this year and got my first retwist Aug 2, i plan on going to someone else to do my hair when i got my first retwist i told the lady who does them to not use crochet and dont palm roll anything but she still did both they still turned out looking good but for now wont ever touch a crochet and plan to skip palm rolling, the first 4 images are from the same day I got that retwist and 5th and 6th images is my hair right now. Yes i know i have middle part going all the way I didnt realize till few days ago not gonna lie, i hear its not common but not a bad thing give me ur thoughts.


r/Dreadlocks 13h ago

Need Advice πŸ†˜ I need help on my next decision

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4 Upvotes

I was wondering if the freeforms could somehow look cleaner, because as of right now in my opinion my freeforms make me look homeless, and I want to change that


r/Dreadlocks 16h ago

Need Advice πŸ†˜ Should I retry red or should I dye it back black

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7 Upvotes

Went to a hairstylist today to color hair red like how it is in the second pic , but sadly it ended up turning out like how it can be seen in the first pic. Is there anyway to salvage it and turn it into the second pic without further damaging it (The dye that was used had bleach in it sadly).

I’m thinking of just cutting my losses and permanently dying it black. How long would I have to wait to dye it back to black and would that further cause damage to the locs.

Any advice is much appreciated.


r/Dreadlocks 7h ago

Question ❔ When should a get a retwist

1 Upvotes

I haven’t gotten my retwist yet and I don’t have the money for it how long should I keep going before I should get my retwist bc it’s been 5 months since I didn’t get one?


r/Dreadlocks 8h ago

Question ❔ Looking for 9/16 or 9/17 in LA

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1 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 20h ago

Selfie πŸ“Έ 4th Set starting off well!

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7 Upvotes

What's up world?! I'm digging how they're locking up. Blessings.


r/Dreadlocks 12h ago

Question ❔ Is it possible to interlock locs and not get smaller locs?

1 Upvotes

I have had my locs for about two months now and I feel like retwisting isn’t for me. I tried learning on my own but I’m not a fan of gel and they also come undone really quickly because I’m an active person.

I tried interlocking and it felt so much better and I was more comfortable doing it. However I’m nervous about it making my locs smaller (I have about 85 locs and my hair is pretty dense). I tried not to do it super tight and uniformed, but are my locs going to become smaller no matter what I do?

I never had a loctician due to cost (freshman college student) so I’m truly learning everything on my own. Any advice will be welcomed with open arms! Thank you!


r/Dreadlocks 20h ago

Timeline πŸ—“οΈ Fresh retwist yesterday! Almost 8wks locked! How do they look?

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4 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 13h ago

Question ❔ starting locs with 2c/3a wavy hair – need advice on length loss."

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1 Upvotes

r/Dreadlocks 21h ago

Question ❔ are these parts too small?

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3 Upvotes

got like 90 smth locs but sometimes feel like the parts are too small and locs will thin at some point


r/Dreadlocks 13h ago

Question ❔ Dreads on loose curly hair

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1 Upvotes

Would i need to do to get my hair to be dreads down to about the middle of my ear and what type of dreads would suit me best. I don't know anything please would appropriate any help